Bi The Way

Rodney's fork hovered halfway to his mouth, the pasta slowly slipping from the tongs. Across the noisy cafeteria, Derek laughed at something on his phone, his eyes crinkling with genuine amusement. Rodney's heart ached wishing they could be friends again, he wondered how long it would be before Derek forgave him.

"Earth to Rodney," Madison's voice cut through his thoughts, it was clear she had been trying to get his attention for a while. "You're more zoned out than usual. What's up?"

"Sorry," Rodney mumbled, placing his fork down and attempting to focus on the friends he was actually sitting with. "Just missing Derek. My family's off to another one of my sister's dance competitions, usually, that would mean we would hang out and watch some dumb new horror movie."

"That sounds like fun." Matt's grinned, trying to lift Rodney's spirits. "Why don't we continue the tradition?"

"I would be down for that," Madison chimed in, already scrolling through her phone for potential flicks. "We'll be your new movie crew."

"Thanks, guys," Rodney said, he was happy he was getting closer to Madison and Matt but he still wished Derek would be there like the old days. As the bell rang he glanced back over at Derek, who was bringing his lunch tray over to the garbage. Rodney's fingers drummed against the tabletop as he weighed the decision, should he really ask Derek to join them? He stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the tiled floor.

"Rodney that's not the way to Mrs. Gurger's class," Madison called after him, but Rodney was already striding across the room towards Derek.

"Hey, Derek," he called out, trying to sound casual. His mind went back to when Derek asked for space and he started to worry that Derek would reject their friendship again, even though it had been months since their fight.

Derek looked up, his expression guarded but not unkind. "What's up, Rodney?"

"Well it's another dance competition weekend," Rodney started, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I was just wondering if you wanted to come over and watch some movies like we used to. I've really missed hanging out and there will be no drama I promise,"

"Movies, huh?" Derek's gaze shifted, considering. He had been meaning to make up with Rodney for a while now and this was his chance to do just that. "That could be fun."

"Really? So that's a yes? Awesome this is going to be so great, I promise I'll..." Rodney caught himself before he started ranting. "I mean it will be chill, no pressure."

There was a brief silence as Derek smirked, he had missed Rodney's frantic energy. Rodney held his breath, trying to read his friend's thoughts from the careful set of his jaw to the slight furrow in his brow.

"That's a yes Rodney," Derek finally said. "I missed hanging out too."

"Awesome," Rodney agreed quickly, relief flooding through him. "See you then."

As Rodney turned back to head to class, he felt lighter than air, finally, he had a chance to make things right with Derek. He knew he had to make the night perfect, his friendship with Derek could very well be riding on it.

"Dude you are cutting it close," Matt remarked, as Rodney took a seat next to him in class.

"I know, I minute later and would have to sing her weird forgiveness song," Rodney huffed, his mind racing with plans to ensure the evening went smoothly.

"Sometimes I wonder how exactly they decide which teachers get hired," Matt laughed, unaware Derek was now joining the movie night.

Rodney laughed along too, forgetting to fill Matt in on the new guest. As class started Rodney continued thinking about what Derek liked on his pizza and his favorite snacks, anything to show him how sorry he was.

---

The scent of fresh pizza wafted through the upstairs living room as Madison placed the steaming boxes on the glass coffee table. Matt grinned, ripping open a family-sized bag of lime tortilla chips sending a few flying across the room. "Looks like we are all set, movie night can officially begin,"

Rodney, perched on the arm of the couch, his mind clearly elsewhere and his gaze fixed on the door. His insides twisted as he waited for Derek's arrival, and he fiddled with the hem of his shirt, a nervous habit he thought he'd outgrown.

"Hey, you okay?" Madison studied him, clearly confused by his behavior.

"Oh crap, did I forget to tell you guys," Rodney stammered, clearing his throat. "I um invited Derek tonight."

Before Matt or Maddison could respond the doorbell rang, slicing through the conversation, and Rodney's head jerked toward the door. He sprang up and opened the door to reveal Derek, excited to have this time together.

"Hey, man," Derek said, treading carefully over the threshold, a case of Pepsi lime under his arm.

"Hey, thanks for coming," Rodney said a little too eagerly. The moment Derek glimpsed Madison and Matt lounging in the living room, his brown eyes flickered with surprise and he seemed more awkward than before.

"Oh, I thought it was just going to be the two of us," Derek muttered, he placed the pop down on the dining room table.

"Uh, surprise?" Rodney offered weakly, realizing too late that he had failed to provide this information beforehand.

"Sup, Derek." Matt's greeting came from the couch, casual but cautious, he knew Derek's feelings towards him were complicated.

"Hey perfect timing, the pizza is still hot," Madison chimed in, her voice steady but laced with a hint of awkwardness as she extended a slice of pizza toward him.

Derek's gaze locked with Rodney's for a split second, a silent conversation in which disappointment and confusion mingled. Rodney's throat tightened; he knew he had messed up yet again.

"Thanks, let's watch this movie," Derek said without much enthusiasm, and he moved to sit in the furthest corner of the room, away from Matt.

"Okay, yeah, sounds good." Rodney fumbled with the remote, feeling the weight of Derek's disinterest in being part of the group. The movie started, but the horror on the screen was nothing compared to the horror Rodney was feeling about the night.

As time crawled by, Derek's unhappiness with the night became more apparent. He shifted in his seat and spent most of his time texting.

"Excuse me," Derek finally said, standing abruptly. "Gotta use the bathroom,"

"Oh sure, you know where it is," Rodney said looking concerned, watching as Derek passed the main floor bathroom and descended into the basement.

"Hey don't blame yourself, I think I might be the reason he is acting so weird" Matt whispered, sounding very apologetic.

"Don't blame yourself, he is the one not making an effort here," Madison said, "At least you are trying."

In the basement, Derek closed the door behind him a little harder than he should have, he hadn't noticed renovation equipment tucked in the corner by the bathroom door. As the door slammed shut behind him some of the ventilation pipes wedged itself between the door and the wall. Hearing the clatter Derek rushed against the door but it wouldn't budge. "Great, just great," he muttered, slipping his hand into his pocket to grab his phone before realizing it wasn't there.

With no other choice, he began to yell, "Help! Can someone help me down here?" Derek's voice echoed off the walls, rising in volume until everyone upstairs could hear it.

"Did you guys hear that?" Rodney asked as Derek's muffled calls reached his ears.

Madison paused the movie. "Sound's like someone yelling,"

"Shit, that's Derek," Matt said, jumping to his feet.

They all rushed downstairs, finding Derek trapped behind the door. Rodney's eyes practically popped out of his head as he took in the sight of his friend, panic etched into every line of his body.

"Hang in there Derek," Rodney said, trying to sound calm even as his voice cracked. "We'll get you out of there in no time," The group eyed the ventilation, wondering how they could dislodge it, Rodney wondered how this night could possibly get any worse.

"Stand back, let me have a go at it," Matt declared, his voice ringing with confidence as he approached, he saw this as his chance to get into Derek's good book. He set his feet, hands gripping the cold metal, muscles bulging as he strained against the piping. For a moment, there was hope in his grunts of effort, but the thin metal only bent slightly without dislodging.

"Here, let me try," Madison said, rolling up her sleeves. Her dark eyes were determined. She wedged her fingers around the pipe and pulled as hard as she could. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead but the pipe remained immovable.

"Okay, new plan," Rodney said, realizing the chances of them moving it were slim to none. He came up with the only plan he could think of. "We should call the fire department, they have those saws that can cut through anything, right?"

"Are you sure?" Matt exhaled, leaning on his knees, and looking up at Rodney with disbelief. "I mean would they even come to free someone from a bathroom?"

"I think so, I mean I hope," Rodney considered Matt's question, now uncertain about his plan.

"Alright, it is worth a shot," Madison added, attempting to raise their spirits.

Rodney nodded and darted upstairs. He grabbed his phone from the living room but noticed the screen was off—dead battery. A pang of guilt hit him; there was no way Derek would want to be his friend again after this.

"My phone's dead. Derek I'm going to use yours to call, hope you don't mind," Rodney called down the stairs, feeling the weight of the device in his hand heavier than usual.

"Wait! Don't—" Derek's muffled shout came too late.

Rodney had already entered the familiar password, the one Derek had shared during a late-night gaming session. The phone sprang to life, and immediately, a message notification popped up from Sunny: 'Wish I could save you from the suckfest.'

The words felt like a stab to the gut to Rodney. His chest tightened, and he felt sick to his stomach. He'd been reaching out, trying to fix things, and Derek had given up the moment it wasn't just the two of them.

"Rodney, did you call yet?" Madison's concerned voice pulled him back to the present.

"yeah, it's ringing," Rodney lied, feeling the betrayal build up inside of him. He started down the stairs as he dialed the number, he could feel his face turning red as he went.

"Woah, Rodney it's ok man. There is no way you could have predicted this," Matt reacted to Rodney's puffy face as he came into view, he could tell Rodney was on the verge of tears.

"Oh, I—It's not... This night has been a disaster from start to finish and I'm sorry," Rodney faltered.

"Hey don't sweat it, not every hangout is going to rock. At least this one will be memorable," Matt offered, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks, at least you had fun at this suckfest," Rodney replied, loud enough for Derek to hear.

"Hey, I'm sorry, okay? I know I was the asshole tonight," Derek's voice came from behind the door, sounding regretful.

"That's for sure," Rodney said, bitterness creeping into his tone. "All I wanted to do was have a nice night with my friends and you ruined that. I wanted to make things better and you didn't even give it a chance!"

"Rodney its just... it's hard to say in front of other people. I thought we would have time to talk just you and me," Derek admitted.

"I'm sorry the night was exactly how you thought it would be but that isn't an excuse to act like it was the worst thing you have ever been a part of. That is not something a friend would do," Rodney trailed off, worried his anger would make him cross a line he couldn't uncross. Finally, the operator picked up on the other end of the line drawing them back to the matter at hand.

---

Erica had decided on her mission for the year, ever since she went on that fake date, she couldn't shake the idea of dating Rodney for real. She leaned closer to the mirror, scrutinizing the way her blouse clung just right and her jeans hugged her curves without screaming for attention. She knew this would be the perfect outfit to pull Rodney's attention from Ally, she was ready for phase one. The plan was simple: infiltrate his friend circle, become his emotional support, and let fate handle the rest.

"Tonight's the night," she muttered to herself, tugging at a loose strand of hair and tucking it behind her ear. The memory of Steven's conversation with Luke played in her head, the casual mention of the crew meeting at Muggs sparking an idea to just happen to bump into them. She assumed the crew meant that Rodney would be there too. She shot herself a quick smile in the mirror before heading out into the night.

The bell above the door of Muggs jingled as Erica stepped inside, her eyes scanning the crowded coffee shop for familiar faces. There they were—Steven, Ally, and Luke—no Rodney, but the night was young and the warm aroma of coffee beans and pastries was inviting. Taking a deep breath, Erica made her approach, with each step she rehearsed her casual greeting.

"Hey, guys! Funny bumping into you here," she said, congratulating herself on how convincing she sounded.

"Uh yeah, are you here to meet up with someone," Steven asked looking past her as if he could spot her invisible friend, Erica knew she had to come up up with something that would get them to let her join them.

"I was going to meet up with a date but he canceled last minute," Erica said, faking a disappointed tone.

Ally glanced up, her blue eyes filled with understanding. "So sorry to hear that, Erica. Do you want to join us?"

"I would love to, beats a night home alone," Erica said, as she pulled up a chair, silently high-fiving herself for getting asked to the table.

"Can I get y'all something to drink?" Alex, the server, appeared beside their table, his apron stained with the day's work.

"Four lattes, please," Erica blurted out before anyone else could speak, reaching for her wallet. "My treat."

"Thanks, Erica. That's really nice of you," Luke said, a lopsided smile on his face.

"It's nothing really," she replied, hoping to sound humble.

"Will anyone else be joining us tonight?" Erica ventured, probing to see if Rodney was on his way.

Luke exchanged a look with Ally, who shrugged slightly, her blonde waves catching the light. "The gang's all here," Steven said, scratching his head. "Well minus Jordan but they have to catch up on an English essay tonight."

"Really?" Erica mumbled, a little confused as to why Rodney wasn't even mentioned in the conversation.

"So Erica who is the jerk that stood you up? Anyone we know?" Ally asked, the corners of her mouth turning down in a slight frown.

"Oh he was from Holy Cross, I don't think you would know him," Erica said with a dismissive wave, she was stuck wondering if they had had a falling out with Rodney.

"Well, he doesn't know what he is missing," Ally said, "We are happy to have you here with us." She smiled

The conversation stumbled forward, as Erica tried to ask about Rodney without actually asking about Rodney. As the lattes arrived, steaming cups bearing witness to her ill-fated attempt at getting closer to Rodney through his friends, she sipped the bitter coffee which matched her own bitterness with the night's events.

"Well this has been fun but I better get going," Erica announced abruptly as she pushed away from the table.

"Already? You just got here," Steven remarked, setting his latte down.

"Y-yeah, remembered I haven't finished that essay either. Totally slipped my mind." She lied, needing to regroup before making her next move.

"Alright then, good luck with that," Luke said, raising his cup in thanks.

"Thanks for the coffee," Ally called out, but Erica was already at the door, her exit as swift as it was silent.

Outside, the cool evening air wrapped around her like a consolation, and Erica let out a long breath as she wrestled with her disappointment. She decided some more recon was required to figure out who Rodney was hanging out with now. As the snow began to fall she made her way home and back to the drawing board.